Civil Rights and Liberties in the 21st Century

by John C. Domino

This up-to-date analysis of the Supreme Court's landmark rulings on civil rights and liberties is a discussion of the facts, legal issues, and constitutional questions surrounding those rulings. Domino's text serves as either a core text in courses on civil liberties and civil rights, or as a supplementary text in courses on constitutional law and the judiciary. Written in the belief that the key to understanding constitutional law is not having the right answers but asking the right questions, the book encourages students to be active and critical thinkers and provides a historical context so that students can better understand competing social, legal, and political interests affecting the Supreme Court's decisions today. It also includes numerous short excerpts from some of the more influential, eloquent, and controversial Supreme Court opinions to illustrate the handiwork of the powerful legal minds who have helped to shape our society, and to remind us that “the Court” is not some abstract legal mechanism, but a group of human beings with divergent points of view.

400 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2002